"Always know what, sugar?"
"Always know when I need a reminder that I"m more than just a harried ranch wife with five rambunctious and messy boys. You remind me that I"m...yours."
"d.a.m.n straight you"re mine, Carolyn McKay. You"ve been mine since the moment I saw you and you"ll be mine until my last breath."
It overwhelmed her sometimes, how much she loved this man. She tried not to sniffle when the tears fell. But Carson"s chest getting slick gave her away.
He tugged her head back and murmured, "Beautiful woman with the beautiful heart," and planted his mouth on hers, kissing her with the tenderness and possession he did so well.
She sighed when he finally ended the kiss. "Sorry for leaking all over you."
"I don"t mind. It"s part of the deal with a pregnant wife." He paused. "When"s the baby due?"
"How"d you know?" Not fair that the man always figured it out before she had a chance to tell him.
"You"ve been testy. And h.o.r.n.y as h.e.l.l."
"That means I"m pregnant?"
"Two signs I"ve seen five times before. And Caro, you were cryin" during a baby food commercial last night. That"s sort of a giveaway." He stroked her arm. "You okay with it?"
"I don"t know. I"m not...not okay with it. I just never thought I"d have six kids. Especially not after seeing how it affected my mother"s health. Then again, she didn"t have her first baby until she was thirty-three."
"It"s ironic that"s how old you"ll be when you have your last baby."
Carolyn lifted her head and looked at him. "We"re done after this?"
"Ain"t your life"s work to pop out kids until you hit menopause, no matter what the pope says. I won"t take the risk that you"ll end up like your mother because I"m selfish; I want lots of years with you after the last kid leaves the nest. You"ve been lucky with every pregnancy, but that ain"t always how it goes, especially the older you get. After this one, we"re done. Don"t care which one of us gets snipped or clipped, but it"s gonna happen."
"Okay."
"So I want you takin" it easy this go around. It"ll be over four years since you had Carter. You don"t take any chances; the boys are old enough to help you out a lot."
"I agree. As long as we"re on that subject, I want the boys to start having household ch.o.r.es in addition to ranch ch.o.r.es."
"I got no problem with that. Was that the issue earlier?"
She hedged. "Teaching them life skills is my responsibility too." She rubbed her face in his chest hair and breathed him in. "Speaking of, I need to check on them before I conk out." She pressed a lingering kiss on his lips. "I love you. Even the days when I look around and see messes everywhere in this house, and boys who"d rather roll in manure than bathe in water, and endless ch.o.r.es for both of us...then I see you and I know I"m exactly where I want to be and I can"t imagine my life any other way."
His eyes softened. "Same goes, sugar. Now go check on them boys before I decide I need another helping of you before we hit the hay."
The boys had been on their best behavior during her pregnancy. A few minor incidents, including an escaped calf in the dining room during calving season, but they were trying to help out more.
But she"d reached the stage of her pregnancy where nothing was clean enough. She"d been scouring the kitchen when the first contraction hit. As strong as it was, it wasn"t her first rodeo so she ignored it and finished scrubbing the refrigerator.
She"d made progress wiping down all of the cupboards when another contraction squeezed her midsection.
Okay. That one got her attention. As did the next two. But Carolyn was determined to cross every ch.o.r.e off her list today. Besides, the baby wasn"t due for two weeks and in five other pregnancies she"d never gone into labor early.
She alphabetized her spices and breathed through the contractions that were coming closer together.
Who knew this false labor stuff could feel like real labor?
With a small squeegee in one hand and the spray hose from the sink in the other, she contemplated cleaning the window above the sink, versus how much it"d bug her if she just let it stay dirty, when angry footsteps came up behind her.
"Carolyn, what in the h.e.l.l do you think you"re doin"?"
"Trying to figure out the best way to wash the windows. I realize climbing on the counter and standing in the sink isn"t an option. So I figured I could spray the gla.s.s with hot water and squeegee it fast."
"Huh-uh. Not happening. Step away from the cleaning supplies."
Carolyn whirled around, aiming the hose at him. "Back off. I have a list to complete. Don"t you have ch.o.r.es of your own to finish without trying to tell me how to do mine?"
"Listen to yourself. And look around. The house sparkles from top to bottom. You"ve been nesting the past two weeks and, sugar, give it a rest."
Carter"s head popped up beside Carson"s hip. His blue eyes were enormous. "Who"s mama makin" a nest for?"
"The baby."
"The baby sleeps in a nest?" Carter asked with interest.
Carolyn started to clarify the difference between nesting and a bird"s nest for her very literal child, because he"d asked how the baby got in her tummy and Carson muttered something lame about the birds and the bees and fertilized eggs. But she snapped her mouth shut when the next contraction doubled her over.
As soon as it ended, Carson was in her face. "How long have you been havin" contractions?"
"Off and on."
"Off and on in the last hour?" he pressed.
"Off and on all morning. But I think it"s false labor."
"Guess we"ll see, won"t we?" Carson picked up the phone and dialed. "Kimi? It"s time. We"re leavin" in five minutes." He paused. "Thanks. I"ll tell Cord to expect you here in an hour." He hung up. "Get your bag."
"Carson, I"m not ready to have this baby so I haven"t even packed a bag."
"Good. Then we can leave right now." He told Carter, "Go get your brothers. Quickly." Then he put his hand on her belly and kissed her forehead. "Let"s hope I don"t have to deliver this kid in the cab of my truck."
"Oh pooh. Relax. I"m not close to popping this baby out yet."
An hour later...
"Come on, sugar, you"re almost there."
"I know," Carolyn snapped. "I"ve done this a few times, remember?"
Carson curled his hands around her face. "Don"t snap at me, beautiful."
Her hair was sweat-soaked; her skin was hot and bloated, and she smelled like cleaning supplies. "Don"t look at me. Don"t call me beautiful." She hissed. "Oh c.r.a.p, this one"s gonna be bad."
"Look at me and breathe. That"s it. You"re doin" good."
Afterward Carolyn slumped against the pillows. "Can I push? I need to push."
The nurse said, "I"m guessing about three more of those big contractions and you"ll be there."
"Oh...here we go again." She stayed focused on her husband. When the next contraction came on the heels of the last one, medical personnel scrambled to get ready.
Doctor Haskell, who"d delivered all their babies, ambled in, chomping on a piece of licorice. He suited up and scooted to the end of the bed. "You"ve done all the work, now I just gotta get out my catcher"s mitt."
The nurse repositioned the bed and Carson moved in to brace Carolyn"s shoulders.
"All right, Carolyn, give that baby a big ol" push."
She grunted and squeezed the bed"s railings as she bore down.
"One more push and we"ll see if you cooked the stem on or the stem-less variety."
Carolyn lifted her upper half up and bore down with gritted teeth. Then she fell back against Carson with a huge sigh of relief.
Then Doctor Haskell started laughing. "I"ll be d.a.m.ned. McKays, you have a daughter."
"What?" Carolyn scrambled upright. "A girl? Let me see."
"Doesn"t sound like you believe me." The doctor laughed again. "You knew there was a fifty-fifty chance this would happen."
"Didn"t even cross my mind after birthing five boys, my sister having twin boys, and my sisters-in-law only having sons."
Carson stood and peeked over the edge, completely dumbfounded.
"Mich.e.l.le," Doctor Haskell said sharply. "Get a chair for daddy, he"s about to pa.s.s out."
"I"m not some f.u.c.kin" p.u.s.s.y who"s gonna faint..." But his face was ashen and he wobbled.
Carolyn watched with concern as the nurse pushed him into a chair. "Head between your legs and breathe."
After a minute or so he slowly raised his head.
"You okay?"
"h.e.l.l no. Might take me a decade or two to get over the shock."
"Lord, I never even considered picking a girl"s name."
"At least you know it"ll start with a C like all the others," he said dryly.
"Just for that smart comment, I"m not picking a C name," she retorted.
Doctor Haskell wandered over with a pink-wrapped bundle. "Your daughter is a healthy seven pounds, thirteen ounces. She"s twenty-three inches long and pa.s.sed all her prelim tests. So we"ll give you a few minutes before we finish the medical stuff." He placed the bundle in Carolyn"s arms. "Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Carolyn loosened the blanket. She pulled back the little pink and blue striped hat, revealing coal black hair. She murmured, "That"s nothing new. Bet the girl has blue eyes too. Stem-less variety or not, she"s still a McKay, through and through."
The baby didn"t move or open her eyes as they checked her out. Carolyn hoped that meant she"d be sweet and mellow.
"She"s beautiful, Mama, like you. You done good again."
"I can"t believe we have a girl. The boys will flip."
"Everyone is gonna flip, sugar. She"s the first McKay girl born in this country. I"d have to ask my dad, but I don"t think his father had sisters in Ireland."
"Then she should have an Irish name."
"Agreed. Oh. Go ahead and contact that nunnery school you went to in Montana and get her enrolled now."
Carolyn laughed and kissed his cheek.
But she suspected Carson wasn"t joking.
They brought their daughter home two days later. There was enough food from well-wishers to feed even their hungry army of boys. Enough pink clothing and toys to warrant the girl getting her own room.
Carson carried their precious bundle into the living room and sat next to Carolyn on the couch. She was exhausted and had spent a good portion of her time in the hospital sleeping. She suspected Carson had spent his time staring at the newest addition to their family with nothing less than awe.
Carolyn unwrapped the blanket. "Come on, boys, and meet your baby sister."
The boys gathered around, staring at her.
"What"s her name?" Colt asked.
"Keely."
Cam and Colt exchanged a look.
"What?"
"That"s a dumb name," Colt said. "Why didn"t you name her something cool like Farrah?"
She heard Carson mutter, "Jesus. Farrah. Really?" and she elbowed him.
"It probably ain"t too late to change it," Colby suggested.
"Her name is fine, don"t listen to them, Mom," Cord said. "At least it don"t start with a C."
Cam leaned over and poked her belly. "She looks scrawny to me. I bet she cries a lot, huh?"
"All babies cry. You cried a lot if I recall," Carolyn said.
Cam looked horrified.